For a while now, I've been having this issue that seems to be related to diabetes in some shape or form, without actually being diabetes itself. Essentially, at random points every couple of days or so, I'll have an episode where all of a sudden, it feels like my blood sugar has plummeted to a dangerous range, and I'll start to shake and get dizzy and cold, and at times, it's to the point where I worry I'm going to faint. At first I wasn't sure what was going on at all, but I've since discovered that eating food fixes it (thankfully I've learned to keep food on me), so I'm sure it has to do with blood sugar. But now here's the weird part: I went and saw a doctor about it, and I'm not diabetic. They ran the standard glucose tolerance tests and stuff, and everything came back normal. Even further, I had to fast for almost 12 full hours on the day I was tested, but I never crashed, despite the fact that I fully expected to.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be? It's extremely inconvenient, and I'm finding that the amount of food I have to be constantly eating throughout the day to prevent these episodes from happening is obscene. (I'm a very lean 160 lb guy, and I'm eating 3500+ calories every day.)

It sounds more like hypoglycemia, which is the opposite of diabetes. It means that your blood sugar can drop too low. Did you have a glucose tolerance test or are you able to check your blood sugar when you feel faint? This is the only way to tell if your sugar is actually low.

Many folks who have problems with going low often eat something in it with both carb and protein or fat (for example cracker with pbutter or cheese). The carb works in the near term and the protein and fat helps to release energy over the long term to keep you stable.

Sorry I can't be more help. You can't really know exactly what is going on unless you have actual blood sugar numbers when you feel bad.

you sound a lot like me. i started having the same problems back in 2007 but it wasn't very often and now it happens all the time. I've seen countless doctors and everyone told me there is nothing wrong with me and the only way you can be hypo is if you have tumors or on insulin meds. I finally found a doctor who told me he believes I have reactive hypoglycemia which tends to happen 2-4 hours after eating. I've even done a 21hr fasting and while I was convinced I was going to drop I didn't. I feel like I have to eat all the time too and the amount of food I'm eating worries me but I try to make all healthy choices so that I don't gain too much weight but I have. sometimes if i don't eat a complex carb my blood sugars won't go up and I feel terrible until I eat something that does.

I also have really bad anxiety about it to the point I was vomiting over it. I stopped going out for a long time. I eventually had to start an anxiety medication to get me through the day.

I was told that you can't get too low with reactive hypoglycemia and sometime when I haven't been able to treat my hypo episode it did correct itself over time but I was feeling aweful and scared the whole time. make sure to limit simple sugars and carbs and eat protiens, complex carbs and some fats.

I was also told that this could just be a phase and you may out grow this. there is also a theory out there that you can have this for a couple years before getting diabetes but there is nothing out there that says you will. I'm hoping it is just a phase and that it goes away soon.

I'm still trying to figure all of this out and this week I have an appt with a diabetes education specialists and hoping she will help me out with a diet and hopefully I can start losing weight and begin to exercise again without fear.

Have the same thing, was diagnosed with hypo about a year ago, and told to eat a healthy snack every three hours besides my meals, and a low carb diet, and high protein diet. It is not always easy, and I panic with the first symptoms that I am ging to pass out. My last two episodes where in the middle of the night, I was actually sleeping, woke up feeling sick and passed out when I tried to get up. My sugar levels go up and drastically down, and definately get worse if I am stressed or with too much in my mind. Exercise has helped, but I struggle with this everyday. I am seeing and Endocrinologist next week, because I can't live with this constant fear of getting sick anytime. Sometimes I don't even know what to eat, good choices are not always available...
Has anyone have an episode in the middle of the night?

A male would have to train seriously hard for about 2hrs per day to burn those calories.

Did you speak to your doc about that calorie consumption without weight gain ? have you always had to eat that many calories ?

Haven't always had to eat that much. I used to eat a normal 2000-2500 calorie diet, but since this started I've had to eat much more.

As for training, I exercise, but not strenuously. Usually just jog a couple miles 4 days a week. I've just never had a weight gain problem. I could eat a full carton of ice cream, an entire bag of potato chips, and eat only steak for a week and not gain a pound.

I am a type II diabetic. But it sounds like you have HYPOGLYCEMIA and not what I have which is HYPERGLYCEMIA. I would really recommend you getting a Blood Glucose Monitor (Walmart has some that are fairly cheap $20.00 and the glucose strips $10-25) and keep this on hand at all times. Because what you need to capture is the reading when you have one of those episodes of fainting and etc.). If that reading is below the normal ranges 80-120 (many times in hypoglycemia..it would run considerably lower than 80). This will help you diagnose yourself and seek medical treatment.

Hypoglycemic is VERY DANGEROUS...if this is what you have, you can go into ACOMA quickly. Not trying to scare you, but I just want you to know how dangerous this form of diabetes is. Don't ignore your symptoms and seek to find your own diagnosis.

For a while now, I've been having this issue that seems to be related to diabetes in some shape or form, without actually being diabetes itself. Essentially, at random points every couple of days or so, I'll have an episode where all of a sudden, it feels like my blood sugar has plummeted to a dangerous range, and I'll start to shake and get dizzy and cold, and at times, it's to the point where I worry I'm going to faint. At first I wasn't sure what was going on at all, but I've since discovered that eating food fixes it (thankfully I've learned to keep food on me), so I'm sure it has to do with blood sugar. But now here's the weird part: I went and saw a doctor about it, and I'm not diabetic. They ran the standard glucose tolerance tests and stuff, and everything came back normal. Even further, I had to fast for almost 12 full hours on the day I was tested, but I never crashed, despite the fact that I fully expected to.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be? It's extremely inconvenient, and I'm finding that the amount of food I have to be constantly eating throughout the day to prevent these episodes from happening is obscene. (I'm a very lean 160 lb guy, and I'm eating 3500+ calories every day.)

HELP!

I have always had problems with concentration lapses and blood sugar levels, even though every single test came back negative.

Then I read up on what the glycemic load means... google it and you'll find more than one website explaining it to you and listing the most common foods and their GLs.

Susie...if I were you I would purchase a Blood Glucose Monitor and the Glucose Strips and I would keep that on hand at all times. Sounds like you do have diabetes but instead of being hyperglycemic...you are hypoglycemic...which is VERY dangerous. If you have the monitor on hand at all times, when you feel this way..test your blood sugar and if its really below the normal range 80-120 (really below like in the 40's or lower). They you know you are diabetic and while it doesn't require medication. It is something you will need to recognize and be careful with. Like make sure you're eating 3 meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Or 5 small meals...whichever works best in controlling your blood sugar.

Susie...if I were you I would purchase a Blood Glucose Monitor and the Glucose Strips and I would keep that on hand at all times. Sounds like you do have diabetes but instead of being hyperglycemic...you are hypoglycemic...which is VERY dangerous. If you have the monitor on hand at all times, when you feel this way..test your blood sugar and if its really below the normal range 80-120 (really below like in the 40's or lower). They you know you are diabetic and while it doesn't require medication. It is something you will need to recognize and be careful with. Like make sure you're eating 3 meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Or 5 small meals...whichever works best in controlling your blood sugar.

Hope this helps!!!!!

thanks.
So I buy those blood glucose monitor and strips and then do what? Or are the instructions written on the back?

I have read that a lot of people do have slumps and concentration problems and so on. That is why eating a low-glycemic-load diet is recommended to everyone?

Classic case is girl who felt that her blood sugar levels were too low, so she ate a lot of raisins in between meals to keep it up. She got it completely wrong as raisins have a very high GL and it was actually the fluctuation and the crash of her high blood sugar levels that caused all the trouble. She started eating peanuts instead and all her troubles got sorted.

Is there a blood test or something which can tell me whether I am diabetic?

Btw I now make sure that the GL of every meal I eat now is never more than 20, preferably under 15 or 10 even. Ie I never eat more than one slice of bread at a time/ half a cup of rice or pasta, eat tortillas instead of bread etc.

I eat at least 5 times a day, usually around 8. but always small meals. I have added complications (IBS) which means I can't eat nuts on their own and I can't have a high-fibre diet either. So it's tricky you see.